Of Beating Hearts
by It'sTimeToDance
Summary: About every man Light used the Note to kill in the first volume.


Korou Otoharada

_In which glass is broken and tempers are lost._

Kurou Otoharada was not an ill-tempered man.

He'd spent years holding this fact as his one redeemable quality, something he could hold above others that they couldn't themselves.

He was rarely angry, or frustrated, or even irritated. He spent hours on end, just sitting in a crowded area, admiring this trait. Malls were the best. He could pick a seat, allow children of any age to spill things on him, trip over his table legs, shove and push each other into him, shout in his ear. He never grew tired of it.

Then, one day, he sat in his cubicle. He worked at an insurance company, and his job entailed little more then typing pre-written reports and waiting for the server to send more. It was very difficult to do something wrong.

His manager, a scrawny man with black rimmed glasses and thinning hair, approached him with a stern way about him. He had cleared his throat, his way of asking for Korou's attention, and looked down his long nose.

Yes sir? Korou had asked, leaning back against his rolling chair and waiting for this man's response.

It was a long speech, one that tested even Korou's impeccable patience, and it went on for at least a minute before the words finally came.

_....your fired._

This was not something he was prepared for.

It might have been this shock element that threw him over the deep end, or it might have been the pure panic, the idea of nothing to occupy his restless, sometimes brutal continuum of thoughts. If left to his own devices, there was no telling what kind of havoc might be wreaked. It was a stifling thought for Korou, and he was overwhelmed.

He collected his things in a cardboard mailing box with ripped duct tape plastered to the side, and drove home in a cloud of adyssmal pessimism.

Korou didn't expect himself to slam his car into a space and storm up the stairs to his apartment building. Nor did he realize he would dismantle his apartment completely, knocking pictures and plates and vases onto the floor in a fury of broken glass. He most certainly did not expect himself to dig through the bottom shelf of his dresser and slip his shining black revolver into his back pocket.

He slid into the front seat of his car and just sat, looking out the window.

He needed validation.

He needed some kind of reassurance that he was not this ill-tempered, that he had self control. He was calm. He was calm.

_He was calm._

The car almost turned itself on, and he barely touched the wheel as it swerved towards the local mall.

The next thing he knew, Korou Otoharada was sitting in the middle of a food court, his gun jutting into the small of his back and his arms tight against the dirty table top.

He waited.

"ちょっと"_Hey, _a boy said, the ghost of laughter still evident in his tone, "ちょっと、人は、私借りる変更をできる。"_Hey, man, do you have some change?_

Korou stood completely still, and he gripped the edge of the table. Other tables were suddenly closer to his, and a child--who's back was towards him--bumped into his side, sending the soda cup he had inadvertably purchased to the ground. The boy still looked down at him, prodding him, "ちょっと、家に誰でもか。" _Hey, anybody home?_

His heart beat very fast, now, and it was hard to focus on any one sound.

"ちょっと" _Hey!_

Korou reached for his back pocket, and the boy mistook this for him reaching for a wallet, "ありがとう。私はちょうど少数のセントを必要とする。" _Thanks. I just need a few cents...._

Korou looked up blankly, feeling the cool metal in his hand, and a trigger went off. He forgot it was his.

A body fell, and someone screamed. He noticed the boy wasn't there anymore.

His heart thudded, and he stood up. He lifted his arm, and pulled the trigger. Again. And again. And again.

He counted in his head every time he pressed his finger against the trigger. One...two...twelve...six bodies, he saw...

His breath was labored, and his heart had a mind of it's own. He walked out of the Shinjuku mall, and started his car.

XxXxXxX

Korou's mother once said to always think about something before you do it. Every action has a consequence, and you must decide whether this consqence is worth it.

"の母残念。" _Sorry mother, _he whispered to himself as he loomed the road, "私はそれをすることができなかった。" _I just couldn't do it._

An elementary school came into view, and Korou really had no control.

He parked and approached the entrance.

What was he doing? he thought to himself, pushing the double doors open and entering the hallway, He is not this kind of person.

God bless his condemned soul.

"か。"_Sir? _a young teacher asked as he brushed past her, looking for a classroom, "か。訪問者があるか。" _Sir, do you have a visitor's pass?_

He lifted his gun, and the teacher screamed. He saw her scurry off towards the office. His heartbeat was deafening.

_Thump._

Korou looked inside a small classroom, with two teachers and six children. He didn't feel angry, but his voice was a roar of fury. He told them to get down. A child screamed, and the teacher shushed it, begging in a quick tongue to let the children go. The other asked what he wanted, and he told her to shut up.

_Thump._

Why was he doing this?

Why?

_Why?_

He held the gun up for some time, his throat croaking out orders every time a child cried or a teacher begged. He heard students being hustled out of the building from the hallways, and police sirens eventually sounded.

_Thump_

A negotiator was heard outside, asking him to let the children out. What did he want?

Go away, he wanted to tell them, I don't know what I'm doing. Just go away.

_Thump_

He wondered if there were news cameras outside. He wondered if his brother was watching, or his mother. He found it unlikely. His brother lived miles away, and the broadcast would only be local. His mother was senile, living in a home where they only allowed reruns of old game shows and English sitcoms.

_Thump_

Hours ticked by, and his chest twisted.

_Thump_

_Thump thump_

At first, it was an odd sensation, as though a hand reached into his chest cavity and pinched his heart. It pulsated.

_Thump_

Oh.

He bended over slightly, and pressed his free hand against his chest. It was like someone had lit a fire beneath his bones, and raged throughout his veins.

Why was he doing this?

He doubled over, and the gun clattered to the ground.

What was wrong with him?

Korou choked on a sound that was like nothing else he'd heard. His limbs shook, and the fire raged on. Oh.

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thump_

_Thumpthumpthump_

_Thump_

Beating hearts sound strange to dying ears.

_Thump_

What was he doing?

_Thump_

He'd killed someone today. Maybe several someones.

_Thump_

The children scurried out, and the teachers followed. The sound of men's harsh voices rang in his ears.

_Th-ump._

_Th...ump._

He cried out, and the world went blank.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

**I honestly have no idea what this is about. I was going to do this differently, but I ended up kind of rushing. Please--**_**please--**_**tell me if it's terrible. **

**If you like it, I'll do other chapters about the other people killed in the first volume. I don't know much about it, cause I only _own _the first volume, but I like to humanize the bad guy sometimes...**

**Translation by worldlingo DOT com.**

***Sigh* And the boredom takes hold....**


End file.
